The ever growing trend of including peripherals in video games continues with the latest peripheral based game, DJ Hero. In a genre that is becoming quite crowded is there room for another music game, are people sick and tried of the plastic instruments, or is DJ Hero the right mix of fun and uniqueness that will solidify its position in the genre.

DJ Hero puts you in the role of a DJ, the game comes with a turntable that includes everything you’d expect from a DJ turntable. You have the disc to scratch, the crossfader, the effects dial etc.

The turntable actually feels very natural and is very easy to use. Almost anyone can just pick it up and play. It’s also pretty small and light so you can just put it on your lap while you play. It can get tricky though when you’re trying hit all the buttons while crossfading and scratching. It will take practice to get really good at the game. But in terms of picking up and playing, I’d say it’s easier than Guitar Hero.

I’m not going to go into exact details on how to use the turntable because you simply can’t understand until you actually pick it up and play, but the game plays similar to the Guitar Hero games as in you have a scrolling highway and notes come at you.

The game forces you to play the tutorial before you do anything else. Once you’re done with the tutorial you should have no trouble bypassing Beginner and Easy and jumping into Medium right away. The biggest gap in the game is from Medium to Hard, there is a big difference, but Medium seemed like a good difficulty to start on. That’s not to say the game is easy, not by any means. Once you get up to Hard and Expert it gets very tough. I just think most people would be bored on anything lower than Medium. To get good on Expert it will take many hours of practice, just like with the Guitar Hero games.

One thing I didn’t like about the game is that it is fairly bare bones. There isn’t much to do. You essentially just go through set list after set list trying to earn enough stars to unlock the next set list. It’s very basic and simple. There really aren’t any other modes. There is online play but it’s basically just a score duel and of course you can always play quickplay. You can also play with a friend locally. One person can be DJ and the other can be Guitar(this only works for some songs though), or if you have two turntables, both people can be DJ’s.

That’s it though. There is a party play mode similar to that found in Guitar Hero 5 but it’s nothing special. There just really isn’t much to do in the game in terms of different game modes. It’s a shame they didn’t include more online modes, or include some kinda of challenge mode or even a music studio where we can mix our own songs. The songs are all great and fun to play, but honestly, how often can you play the same song? There is and will be more DLC but I just would have liked to seen more variety in the game modes.

DJ Hero has a lot riding on its song selection and it doesn’t dissapoint. The game boasts over 90 mixes, all mixed by professional DJ’s. There is something here for everyone, songs by David Bowie, Jackson 5, Eminem, Jay-Z, Daft Punk, Blondie, etc all make appearances. The mixes are all pretty amazing and I hope Activision will make a soundtrack for the game. Sometimes I’ll just sit back and listen to the music on the menus and not even play. The mixes are just that good. Some of the mixes are pretty weird also, like mixing the Gorillaz with Marvin Gaye. Who would have thought of that? It’s there though and it works. It’s a mix of Heard It Through The Grapevine and Feelz Good Inc and it’s probably one of my favorite mixes in the game.

In terms of character customization there is a fair amount you can do. You can unlock real DJ’s to play as, like Daft Punk and you can also customize clothing, the turntables and other things by unlocking them. Just like with other music games, you unlock more items and venues by earning more stars. Nothing new here. For people that like the whole customization aspect in these games you’ll be happy here.

During the songs, the game does a pretty good job of putting you in the zone. The camera angles, the settings and just the whole backdrop in general really gets you into the game. The DJ’s move to the beats, the crowd dances along, it just sets a good mood. It’s a lot better than in the Guitar Hero games where you just watch the same generic characters up on stage. DJ Hero sets a better tone with the backdrops and it helps hype you up and really get into it.

At the end of the day when all is said and done, the music genre really is to overcrowded. The question is, at over $100 does DJ Hero really deserve a spot in your home? I think it really depends. If you’re into this type of music and you’re into DJ’ing, and mixing etc then you’re going to love the game. It’s the closest you can get to being a real DJ without buying the real equipment and it really is a ton of fun and makes you feel like you’re DJ’ing. It’s great at parties and the mixes in the game are all fantastic.

If you’re more of a classic rock guy who’s iTunes consists of Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who and Rush then I don’t think you’ll appreciate the game. DJ Hero definitely appeals to more of a niche crowd then the Guitar Hero games do. If this is your thing though, and you like this music or this culture then I’d say it’s a must buy.

The inclusion of some more game modes would have been nice, and a bit more of an expanded online area could have been useful, but overall I think it’s a good first start for the series and I can only hope that for the next one, they take what they did here and expand and make it better.

Score: 8.5/10

• Pros:
  • The mixes are phenomenal
  • Great game for parties
  • Easy to pick up and play and it gets addicting
• Cons:
  • Pretty bare bones
  • Why can’t we mix our own songs>
• Random Fact:
  • DJ Hero also comes in the Renegade Version, it is more expensive but it may be worth it.

DJ Hero was developed by Freestyle Games and published by Activision. It will be released for PS2, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 on October 27, 2009.